Chapter 40

40
The secretary sighed internally before responding . “ He’s been traveling back and forth . He’s been going to a town , and then to the village where Miss Aria grew up . ”
Logan froze , narrowing his eyes . “ Jamelan ? ”
The secretary nodded and replied simply . “ Yes . ”
“ Alright , you can go now , ” Logan said .
“ Understood , Mr. Saxon ,” the secretary replied respectfully .
With that , the secretary left , and the office fell silent .
Logan held his pen , mind racing .
He wondered , ‘ What is Caleb doing in Aria’s hometown ? ”
He grabbed his phone and quickly typed a message : [ Aria , are you awake ? ]
A few minutes later , Aria emerged from the bathroom and finished blowing her hair . She grabbed her phone , reading his message . [ Not yet , what’s up ? ]
Logan responded immediately : [ Has your brother been in touch with you . lately ? ]
Aria quickly replied : [ No. ]
Logan typed again : [ If he does , could you let me know ? ]
Aria replied : [ Okay . ]
or
Logan had always been the heir apparent , raised to respond to others with formality – long , detailed messages from employees asking for things , of just a simple acknowledgment .
But now , in this small exchange , he understood exactly what those
1/4
3:52 pm WB
10
employees felt .
After a quick scroll , he opened a chat with one of his managers and found a cute nod sticker . He saved it and sent it to Aria .
Aria read it , stared at the screen for a moment , unsure how to reply .
After a few seconds , she sent back a similar sticker .
A second later , a little cat emoji appeared .
Aria chose to remain silent .
Suddenly , a thunderclap rang out .
Aria put her phone down to close the window , but just as she did , the doorbell rang , coinciding with the loud rumble of thunder .
Tonight was definitely not going to be peaceful .
She walked toward the living room , opened the security monitor , and saw Silvia standing at the door . Her eyes narrowed slightly .
When Aria opened the door , Silvia’s bloodshot eyes met hers .
The awkward smile on her face didn’t hide her obvious distress . Her
throat choked , and her lips trembled slightly . “ Aria .”
“ It’s late . What are you doing ? ” Aria asked , not accusatory , just concerned .
Silvia sniffed and , without warning , tears started flowing .
Another loud crack of thunder made her flinch , her red eyes still locked
on Aria .
She squeezed her dress in her hands . “ They came looking for me ,” Silvia said before lowering her head .
Aria’s expression remained unchanged . “ Dominic and Alice ? ”
2214
3:52 pm D WB
40
“ Yes , ” Silvia replied .
Aria let out a quiet laugh , crossing her arms as she leaned against the doorframe . “ Did they come to ask you for money ? ”
Silvia’s eyes shot up , startled . “ You know ? ”
“ It isn’t hard to figure out . They wouldn’t come to me , so they went to you ,” Aria said matter – of – factly .
“ Why wouldn’t they come to you ? ” Silvia asked , looking confused .
“ Maybe … because they’re afraid I’ll kill them ,” Aria said casually .
The coldness in her voice left Silvia wide – eyed , unsure if Aria was joking
or serious .
“ You feed one wolf , they’ll keep coming back for more , ” Aria said , her tone eerily calm . “ I’d suggest you tell your parents . ”
As she spoke , she glanced over at the balcony . “ It’s about to rain . Aren’t you going home ? ”
The way she said “ your parents ” instead of “ our parents ” made it clear : she was distancing herself .
The sound of raindrops started falling heavily from the balcony .
The rain was coming down in sheets .
Silvia bit her lip , frustration and guilt flooding her . “ Austin’s gambling debts … they’re holding him hostage . They need 1.5 million dollars to bail him out . I’ve given them everything I can .
“ But now … they want me to buy a house in the city with Austin’s name on it , and pay him 150 thousand dollars a month for living expenses … They’ve known about the baby mix – up for fifteen years , Aria . I’m so sorry . ”
Aria didn’t flinch . She was calm .
3/4
3:52 pm D W G
10
Silvia blinked in confusion . “ Aren’t you shocked ? ”
“ I’ve known for a long time , ” Aria replied calmly , her voice flat .
AD